Boston Releases their List of the City’s Top 50 Restaurants

Their juicy annual 50 Best Restaurants issue is now on newsstands and, as of today, has appeared on the interwebs for your procrastinating pleasure. You’ll see a few unimpeachable favorites (Bondir, Craigie on Main; Island Creek Oyster Bar) and some notable absences.

Michael Schlow’s establishment favorite Radius didn’t appear on the list, nor did his semi-new casual concept, Tico. (His Alta Strada, in the Wellesley ‘burbs, did get a nod.) Legal Harborside, the Legal Sea Food empire’s glitzy new flagship, also failed to make the cut. Our onslaught of Mexican newcomers went unheralded, as did flashy urban openings like Blue Inc., Red Lantern, Forum, 49 Social, or the Brahmin. In fact, the newest spot to make the cut might just be 80 Thoreau in Concord. And that venerable Locke-Ober, reopened and downscaled, is also among the missing. Also nowhere to be seen: John Mariani’s fave spot, Towne.

We were pleased to see some less-heralded gems get their due, most notably Cambridge’s East by Northeast, Salts, and T.W. Food, as well as Newton’s 51 Lincoln. A few more holes in the wall would’ve been tasty, but for the most part, we’re on board with the list. What do you think of their round-up?